Viagra (or sildenafil) has long been the go to drug for erectile-dysfunction treatment. However, despite the popularity of the little blue pill, recent studies suggest a link between Viagra use and melanoma skin cancer.

Because of this possible health risk, many are questioning whether the benefits of drug outweigh the possible Viagra skin cancer side effects.

In 1998, Pfizer Inc. introduced Viagra to the American drug market and since then has become one of the most widely prescribed and used medications within the United States. Additionally, this Pfizer drug has been aggressively marketed as a safe erectile-enhancing treatment, which made it popular among many men who have difficulties developing and maintaining an erection.

However, many are questioning the safety of Viagra since Harvard Medical School published a Viagra skin cancer study in 2014, which suggested that men who took Viagra for erectile dysfunction were about 84 percent more likely to be later diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer.

While researchers are not sure why this connection exists, they hypothesize that Viagra lowers the body’s natural PDE5A levels, a protein that fights cancer, which in turn allows melanoma skin cancer cells to become more aggressive.

Viagra Skin Cancer Risks

According to FDA standards, every drug on the American pharmaceutical market must demonstrate that the potential drug benefits outweigh the possible risks. If more studies show that the risk of Viagra melanoma skin cancer outweighs the erectile enhancing benefits of Viagra, then theoretically, the FDA may be forced to mandate a Viagra recall.

This is also a possible outcome considering that Viagra does not provide a cure for any type of disease or condition, but rather provides a temporary treatment for erectile dysfunction, a condition which does not pose any physical or lethal risk to consumers. However, as previously stated, a Viagra recall is only likely if it is found that Viagra does in fact increase melanoma skin cancer risks.

Viagra Skin Cancer Lawsuits

According to the American Cancer Society, 69,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer each and every year and this cancer also causes about 8,650 deaths on an annual basis. If caught early, melanoma is treatable. However, once the skin cancer spreads from the skin to the lymph nodes, treatment options become scarce, eventually leading to the patient’s death.

The findings of Harvard’s Viagra skin cancer study suggest Pfizer failed to detect or warn male consumers of the potential Viagra melanoma risk, while the company made billions of dollars almost every year just from Viagra sales alone.

Based on this and other forthcoming Viagra skin cancer research, it is likely that more and more men will file Viagra melanoma lawsuits against Pfizer, alleging that had the company included skin cancer information and warnings with their product, a Viagra melanoma skin cancer diagnosis could have been avoided and patients might have opted for a different drug.